Best Digital Guidebook Apps for Airbnb Hosts (2026)

A digital guidebook is one of those tools that pays for itself almost immediately. Fewer guest messages, better reviews, and a more professional experience from the moment someone books your property.

The question is: which guidebook app should you use?

We've compared the four main options for 2026. Full disclosure, we built Guest Loop, so we're obviously biased. We'll be upfront about where competitors do well and where we think we have the edge.

What to Look for in a Guidebook App

Before diving into the tools, here's what actually matters:

• Ease of setup: How quickly can you go from zero to a published guidebook?
• Guest experience: Does it look good on mobile? Is it easy to navigate?
• Pricing: What do you actually pay per property?
• Features beyond the basics: Email capture, analytics, branding, integrations
• Updates: How easy is it to make changes once published?

Touch Stay

Best for: Hosts who want a mature, established platform with lots of customisation.

Touch Stay has been around since 2014 and is one of the most well-known guidebook tools in the market. It's popular with property managers and hosts across the UK, US, and Australia.

Strengths

• Long track record and solid reputation
• Good template system with plenty of sections
• Supports multiple languages
• Integration with some PMS platforms
• Active community and helpful support

Considerations

• Pricing starts at £7.95/month for a single property on the basic plan
• The interface can feel complex for hosts who just want something simple
• Limited marketing features (no built-in email capture or campaigns)

Pricing

From £7.95/month (basic). Higher tiers for more features and properties.

For a detailed comparison, see our Touch Stay vs Guest Loop breakdown.

Hostfully

Best for: Property managers running many listings who need a full PMS integration.

Hostfully offers both a guidebook product and a full property management platform. The guidebook is part of a larger ecosystem.

Strengths

• Deep PMS integration if you use Hostfully's management tools
• Solid guidebook templates
• Good for larger portfolios
• Marketplace of local service providers

Considerations

• Pricing is higher, especially for the full platform
• Can feel like overkill if you just want a guidebook
• The learning curve is steeper than simpler tools

Pricing

Guidebook-only plans start around $25/month. Full PMS plans are significantly more.

We've written a full Hostfully vs Guest Loop comparison if you want the details.

Boarding Pass

Best for: Hosts who want a clean, design-focused guidebook.

Boarding Pass (by Hospitable) offers a streamlined guidebook experience with a focus on visual design.

Strengths

• Clean, modern design templates
• Easy to set up
• Good mobile experience for guests
• Integrates with Hospitable's automation tools

Considerations

• Tied to the Hospitable ecosystem, which may not suit everyone
• Fewer standalone features compared to dedicated guidebook apps
• Pricing bundled with Hospitable plans can make it hard to evaluate standalone value

Pricing

Included with Hospitable plans, which start around $40/month.

Guest Loop

Best for: Hosts who want a simple, professional guidebook with built-in guest marketing tools.

Guest Loop is the newest entrant in this space, built in Australia with a focus on simplicity and direct booking strategy.

Strengths

• Setup takes about 10 minutes (we wrote a step-by-step guide)
• Built-in email capture when guests open the guidebook
• Email campaigns to turn guests into repeat direct bookers
• QR code generation for each property
• Multiple professional themes
• Interactive local recommendation maps
• Simple, flat pricing

Considerations

• Newer platform, so fewer integrations than established players
• Smaller user community (for now)
• Less suitable for very large portfolios needing PMS-level features

Pricing

$19.95/month. Includes all features, email capture, campaigns, themes, and QR codes.

Quick Comparison Table

| Feature | Touch Stay | Hostfully | Boarding Pass | Guest Loop | |---|---|---|---|---| | Starting price | £7.95/mo | ~$25/mo | ~$40/mo (bundled) | $19.95/mo | | Setup time | 30-60 min | 45-60 min | 20-30 min | ~10 min | | Email capture | No | No | No | Yes | | Email campaigns | No | No | No | Yes | | QR codes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Interactive maps | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Themes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Multi-language | Yes | Yes | Limited | Coming soon | | PMS integration | Some | Full | Hospitable only | Coming soon |

Which One Should You Pick?

Choose Touch Stay if you want an established platform with a proven track record and don't mind a bit of complexity during setup.

Choose Hostfully if you're a property manager running 10+ listings and want your guidebook integrated with a full management platform.

Choose Boarding Pass if you already use Hospitable and want a guidebook bundled with your existing tools.

Choose Guest Loop if you want the fastest setup, built-in email capture, and a tool that helps you build direct booking relationships with guests. Especially if you're in Australia or New Zealand and want local support.

Getting Started

Whichever tool you choose, having a digital guidebook will improve your guest experience and save you time on repetitive messages. If you want to see what Guest Loop can do, start your free trial here.

For more on reducing guest messages, check out our guide on how to reduce guest messages by 90% with a digital guidebook.